Nine Scottish landlord requirements to check.
The records and duties that recur across Scottish rentals, with the conditions that decide when each one applies.
Scottish landlord duties do not share one renewal cycle. Some apply to the landlord, some to the property and some only when a particular installation, tenancy or licence is involved.
This guide covers nine common requirements. It is not a claim that the same nine apply unchanged to every property. An HMO, short-term let or property with licence conditions can bring additional duties. The Scottish compliance calendar gives the longer version, with the legislation and review dates. It is free and needs no signup.
1. Landlord registration
Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004. Three-year renewal. Failure to register is a criminal offence with fines up to £50,000, and the council can serve a Rent Penalty Notice, which means no rent is payable on the property until the notice is revoked. There is no council power to stop the property being let.
2. Gas safety certificate (CP12)
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Where the property has relevant gas appliances or installations, the safety check is annual. Letting without a current check is a criminal offence and a breach of the Repairing Standard; in Scotland the maximum on summary conviction is a £20,000 fine, and an appliance known or found to be unsafe must not be used. Unlike England, Scotland has no rule making the tenancy itself unlawful or blocking an eviction notice, but a conviction is reportable and can affect your landlord registration.
3. EICR
Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, ss.19A to 19B, judged against the Repairing Standard. The electrical installation, and the fixtures, fittings and appliances you provide, must be inspected before a tenancy starts and at intervals no longer than five years; an in-date report carries over, so a change of tenant does not by itself require a fresh inspection. The competent person's report can require an earlier one. Give the tenant a copy of the most recent record before the tenancy starts and keep each record for six years. The duty has applied in Scotland since 1 December 2015; the 2020 start date and the 28-day remediation clock you will see quoted are England's.
4. EPC
Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008. An EPC is ordinarily valid for ten years and is required before marketing unless an exception applies, and every advertisement in commercial media, portal listings included, must state the energy performance indicator. Scotland has no minimum EPC band for private lets: the 2020 regulations that would have introduced one were approved in draft, then withdrawn before being made, and minimum band E is England and Wales' rule. A reformed EPC regime has been made, with main provisions appointed to commence on 31 October 2026; the government has proposed moving that to 30 April 2028, but the amending instrument was still a draft when we last checked. A minimum heat retention rating of band C has been proposed for new tenancies from 2028, but that consultation closed on 29 August 2025 with no government response published and no instrument laid. It does not change today's duty.
5. Legionella risk assessment
Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 Repairing Standard guidance, alongside the wider health and safety framework. This is a risk assessment, not a certificate with a fixed expiry. The statutory guidance says to review it no longer than two years after the previous assessment, or earlier if the assessment or a change at the property requires it. HSE does not require a legionella test certificate, most landlords can do the assessment themselves, and recording the findings is only a statutory duty for employers with five or more employees, though a dated record is the practical evidence that you assessed the risk.
6. PRT agreement
Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. Most private tenancies created since 1 December 2017 are Private Residential Tenancies. The landlord must give the tenant written terms and the prescribed supporting notes, the Easy Read Notes with the Scottish Government's model agreement or the Statutory Terms Supporting Notes with your own, by the end of the day the tenancy starts. Miss them and the tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for up to three months' rent, or six if both were missed, unless you supply them before the hearing. A PRT has no fixed end date, so there is no routine renewal.
7. Tenancy deposit protection
Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. The deposit must be lodged with an approved scheme within 30 working days of the tenancy beginning, not 30 days from receipt, which is the English rule. Where the deposit is paid in agreed instalments, each instalment must be lodged within 30 working days of receiving it. If the Tribunal finds a breach it must award the tenant a sum of up to three times the deposit, and the tenant has three months from the end of the tenancy to apply.
8. Interlinked smoke and heat alarms
Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 tolerable standard, applied to private lets by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 Repairing Standard. Private landlords have been subject to a materially identical interlinked standard since February 2019; the all-tenure change took effect on 1 February 2022. The placement is one smoke alarm in the room most used for general daytime living, one in every circulation space on each storey, and a heat alarm in every kitchen, all interlinked and ceiling mounted. It is one alarm in the main living room, not one in every room that could be used as one. A carbon monoxide detector goes in every room with a fixed combustion appliance or a flue, excluding appliances used solely for cooking. Follow the product lifespan and replace an alarm sooner if it fails.
9. Repairing Standard
Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, Part 1. An ongoing obligation rather than a periodic one. The property must meet the Repairing Standard at the start of the tenancy and throughout it.
Check the property-specific conditions
The right checklist depends on the property and how it is let. HMO licensing, short-term-let licensing and conditions imposed by a council can add requirements that do not appear above.
Each entry on the Scottish compliance calendar includes its review period, legal basis and consequences. Check the source again when a rule or commencement date changes. If we have missed something, or something changes, tell us at hello@uselar.com.
Track the requirements that apply.
Lar stores the evidence and dates against each property, and keeps an overdue action on the dashboard until it is dealt with.
This guide is reference material, not legal advice. Statutory periods and penalties are as legislated at the time of writing; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or your solicitor.